L'amaro giardino di Lesbo

I have not read the novel, but this film is a very effective tale about regret, sadness, obsession and coping. Okhi was a married writer who seduced Otoko when she was sixteen, causing her to become pregnant, but miscarry the child. After a period of emotional disturbance, she becomes an artist. Many years later, Okhi turns up in Kyoto to see her, and surprisingly not bitter. However, Otok's 16 year old student Keiko (the beautiful Mariko Kaga)vows revenge on him. You see a kind of connection between Otoko and Keiko, beyond teacher/student. Keiko's obsession with making Okhi pay for what he did to Otoko, even though she wasn't born yet, is the thread of this film. The acting is universally very good, the story is compelling and the film moves methodically to its end. I recommend this for fans of these kind of films, dramas that feature envy, obsession, regret and the possibility of redemption. Its a very compelling tale.